Town Hall

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"Social Studies Education"

Pilgrimage - Read the Introduction to chapter 8 and the section "Social Studies and Citizenship Education," pages 174-8, up to (but not including) "Games and Standards" -- then skip to read the sections Guidelines for Choosing an Appropriate Game and Guidelines for Implementing a Game Effectively, pages 191-2. With the writeup of these readings as Social Studies under the Pilgrimages topic on the Discussion Tab at your Adventurer's Log, up to 5 XPs can be awarded.

Quests (up to 5 XPs each):
  • iCivics Quest 1 - Explore and play at least 2 games from iCivics from different areas to compare and on which to report under the Quests topic of the Discussion Tab on your Adventurer's Log
  • iCivics Quest 2 - The same overall quest parameters, except for a different pair of games from those used in iCivics Quest 1.
  • US Political Games Quest - Choose two games in that category below, other than the iCivics games, to compare and on which to report under the Quests topic of your Discussion Tab in your Adventurer's Log
  • Social Studies Quest - Choose 2 games from the list under "Games for Social Studies" to compare and on which to report under the Quests topic of your Discussion Tab in your Adventurer's Log
"United States Political Games for Social Studies Education"

Senate Seeker, http://senateseeker.com - Web-based, text p. 187

The ReDistricting Game, http://redistrictinggame.org - Web-based, text p. 187

Particracy, http://classic.particracy.net - Web-based, text p. 187

NationStates, http://nationstates.net - Web-based, text p. 187

iCivics, http://www.icivics.org - Web-based, includes a video from Sandra Day O'Connor (retired Supreme Court Justice) at http://www.icivics.org/teachers. And many games, including:
  • 4 games on Citizenship & Participation
  • 2 games on The Constitution and Bill of Rights
  • 1 game on Foreign Policy
  • 1 game on Separation of Powers
  • 2 games on The Executive Branch
  • 2 games on The Legislative Branch
  • 4 games on The Judicial Branc
"Games for Social Studies"

Discover Babylon, http://fas.org/babylon - Free, but Windows XP downloadable, text p. 183.

Quest Atlantis, http://questatlantis.org - Web-based, text p. 183. (This game also is listed for Science. If you use it here, be sure to orient the discussion toward social studies.)

3rd World Farmer, http://3rdworldfarmer.com - Web-based, text p. 184

Outbreak at Watersedge, http://mclph.umn.edu/watersedge - Web-based, text p. 184

Ayiti: the cost of life, http://costoflife.ning.com - Web-based, text p. 184

Darfur Is Dying, http://darfurisdying.com - Web-based, text p. 185

Whyville, http://whyville.net - Web-based, text p. 185 (This game also is listed for Science. If you use it here, be sure to orient the discussion toward social studies.)

Sim Shop, http://www.simsweatshop.com/ - Web-based, very interesting

McDonald's Game, http://www.mcvideogame.com/ - Web-based, lots of pieces to maintain.

Goggles: The Google Maps Flight Sim, http://www.isoma.net/games/goggles.html - Web-based, but incredibly slow at pre-loading.

Against All Odds, http://www.playagainstallodds.com/ - Web-based game about being a refugee.

Energyville, http://www.energyville.com/energyville/ - Web-based game with a focus on economic, environmental, and security choices to power a city.